Mazdas have long been tight and nimble driving machines; now, in the new sedan, looks and performance are aligned

You may think you have a tough job, and you probably do, but if you make a living building and selling automobiles, chances are you're really busting your hump. This is a horrible business, a predator-filled savanna, and you—Mr. Lease Manager at the Kia store in Portland, Maine, or you, Mr. Swing-Shift Foreman in Windsor, Ontario—are a small, vulnerable marsupial. Everybody's worried, no one more than the boss.

For example: Would someone please check on the well-being of Audi's former head of research and development,...